Saturday, December 31, 2005

WaPo has a list, including this gem from Barbara Bush after she visited Katrina evacuees in the Houston Astrodome:

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. So many people in this arena, here, you know, were underprivileged, so this is working very well for them."

The editors at Newsweekseem to think so - the film adaptation directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks made the magazine's front cover. The trailer can be seen here.

"Seek the truth" is apparently one of the movie's taglines, but you certainly won't find much truth in the novel or the film. The only thing the tagline does is remind my of the one for "The X-Files" - The Truth is Out There.

The Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado wanted to display the menorah on city property in Old Town Square, but city administrators denied the request, despite a precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 that likely would allow the display.

The compromise highlights the work of a newcomer rabbi and a mayor wishing to promote Fort Collins as a city that embraces diversity. But it also means that the menorah will not be allowed to remain on city property throughout the eight-day Hanukkah celebration, which began Sunday.

Instead, it will grace the square for a ceremony tonight at 6, to be attended by Mayor Doug Hutchinson, and then be moved back to the privately owned patio of a brewpub that offered to display the nine-branched candelabrum when word of the controversy hit the local paper last week.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Actor Michael Vale died from complications due to diabetes. He was 83.

Vale's long-running character, "Fred the Baker," for the doughnut maker's ad campaign lasted 15 years until he retired in 1997.

Canton, Massachusetts-based Dunkin' Donuts said in a statement that that Vale's character "became a beloved American icon that permeated our culture and touched millions with his sense of humor and humble nature." (CNN)

Probably the most well-known film he was in was "The Marathon Man," which starred Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier - Vale played a jewelry seller. He also sat down for an interview in 1999 on "The Howard Stern Radio Show."

The impeachment is portrayed in the context of his two-term tenure, a milestone event, but not one that overshadows how Clinton handled the economy, crime and health care. The most commonly used texts give straightforward recaps of Clinton's toughest days, with some flavor of how it affected the nation. (CNN)

What's missing from the textbooks: "Yet at all levels, the salacious details of the Lewinsky affair are nowhere to be found." Good - as if our school-age kids need to read about all that.

Post-holiday depression is one of those things that seems true and feels true but isn't actually true.

Despite the notion that the holiday season is filled with joy, psychiatrists have long argued that the time can also be fraught with stress, expectations that go unfulfilled, depression and, for some, loneliness. But for all the talk, studies over the years have found little evidence that depression rates actually climb around Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's Eve. Researchers have looked at patterns of suicide rates and psychiatric emergency room visits. (NY Times)

What about seasonal affective disorder?

One form of depression, seasonal affective disorder, is tightly linked with winter. But the treatable condition has more to do with the short, dark winter days than with holiday stress, Dr. Saltz said.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Christian blogger LaShawn Barber gives her opinion here. If you want the quick-and-skinny on her posting without having to go to her site, then read:

Kwanzaa is not an innocuous celebration of black history. It attempts to spiritualize that history, replacing Christ-centered theology with pagan principles. For Christians, the only principles by which to live are found in God’s word, the Bible.

Pagans have argued that Christ was not born on December 25. Insignificant. While no one knows exactly when Christ was born, the fact remains that He was born. Christmas is a time for Christians to celebrate this joyous fact.

Christ became a man to save men, not to lift up one race or culture in worship. As with any man-made religion, Kwanzaa is just another attempt to make gods of men. All Christians must be discerning when faced with these false doctrines.

The Fall of Man was the direct result of our determination to become gods. The pagan ritual of Kwanzaa is merely the old Lie wearing a new disguise.

When Bob Bernstein arrived at his coffeehouse to assess the scene of an early Christmas morning break-in, the one thing he noticed missing was the cinnamon bun that bears a striking likeness to Mother Teresa. Bernstein said he believes that the culprit is someone angry over the shop displaying the world-famous pastry, which has been preserved with shellac. A jar of money next to the Nun Bun was not stolen. (Chicago Tribune)

Check out the Bongo Java website, which has a link to the Nun Bun. Bongo Java is located in Nashville, TN, and was featured on Food Network's "$40 a Day" (the episode will air tonight at 10:00 PM).

I don't know what is more sad - that someone would steal a bun just to destroy it, or that people would revere images in food.

Three Democratic senators, two of which are likely to be presidential contenders in 2008 and one of which was a vice-presidential candidate in 2000, have introduced a bill:

In a noontime press conference Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Evan Bayh (D-IN) introduced federal legislation designed to protect children from inappropriate video games. Today's move represents the formal filing of the Family Entertainment Protection Act (FEPA) announced by Clinton and Lieberman on November 29th. (Live Journal)

“The holiday season is a particularly important time to raise awareness of this issue. Video games are hot holiday items, and there are certainly wonderful games that help our children learn and increase hand and eye coordination. However, there are also games that are just not appropriate for our nation’s youth,” said Senator Clinton. “This bill will help empower parents by making sure their kids can’t walk into a store and buy a video game that has graphic, violent and pornographic content.”

You know what will also be "hot" in the coming years? The presidential race. Clinton and Bayh had to have that in mind as they introduced this legislation. They'll both want to bring up their concern over family values when they're wandering around the country in a couple years, and they will surely point to this as an example. Bayh will talk about having Hoosier values, and Clinton was say this is an example of being active in the village.

We're skipping church this morning to prepare the dining room for our meal. Turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and other goodies. You know, the traditional Christmas meal. One year, though, my parents had chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce for Christmas - that was certainly something different for us, since we're usually quite traiditonal in our holiday meals.

Doesn't feel quite like the holidays this year since I'm working at the hospital so much. I didn't take any time off and I picked up extra shifts. How very Ebeneezer Scrooge of me!

Saturday, December 24, 2005

I finally made it to Danville, Illinois, to join my wife and daughters as we celebrate Christmas with my in-laws. We're having Monical's pizza for dinner (mmm... so good to drizzle Monicals' own French dressing on a slice of pepperoni thin-crust), and then we'll go to an uncle's home to consume even more food. We have usually gone to the Christmas Eve service at April's grandparents' church, but we won't make it this year due to her grandmother's poor health. We'll spend the night in Danville, then travel home sometime tomorrow afternoon. Santa's already delivered his gifts to our home, so my eldest daughter should be surprised when we return.

May you have a safe and joyous Christmas! Remember that the child born and laid in a manger did not remain a child, but grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. He died on the cross and was resurrected so that we might be with Him in eternity. Praise God for His unspeakable gift!

An apparent confession of guilt on a high schooler's blog leads to a DUI manslaughter plead.

Blake Ranking was a Eustis High School senior and still aching from a horrible crash three days earlier when he posted those words on blurty .com, a site for Web logs.

"It was me who caused it. I turned the wheel. I turned the wheel that sent us off the road, into the concrete drain . . .," he wrote as his best friend, Jason Coker, 17, lay in a coma at Orlando Regional Medical Center. "How can I be fine when everyone else is so messed up?"

Coker never awoke from the crash Oct. 3, 2004. He died Jan. 11. Although Ranking later retracted his words -- deleting them from the blog and penning an explanation -- they came back to haunt him, forcing him Monday to plead guilty to DUI manslaughter. He could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison. But defense lawyer John Spivey and Assistant State Attorney Julie Greenberg recommended five years in prison, 10 years of probation and a permanent license suspension. (Sun-Sentinel)

Reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince may keep your kid out of the emergency room.

When we last left Harry Potter his life was in mortal peril from Lord Voldermort and his Death Eaters, but the teen wizard was still able to cast a Protego spell to keep muggle (non-magical) kids from harm.

That's the opinion of researchers here, who found that when the latest installments of the Harry Potter books came out, the number of kids showing up in the emergency room with broken bones, sprains, scrapes and bruises went down significantly. Apparently, kids were just so wild about Harry that they didn't have time to ride a skateboard down a flight of stairs, or weave a scooter through heavy traffic. (MedPage Today)

Intriguing stuff, but I still think I'll encourage my daughters to spend some time outside when the weather is warm. Reading is important but so is physical activity.

Former senator Tom Daschle (you remember him, right?) tries to show America that he's still around by writing an op-ed in today's WaPo discussing wiretapping. In case you are unsure about his opinion on this, I will offer the following:

All Americans agree that keeping our nation safe from terrorists demands aggressive and innovative tactics. This unity was reflected in the near-unanimous support for the original resolution and the Patriot Act in those harrowing days after Sept. 11. But there are right and wrong ways to defeat terrorists, and that is a distinction this administration has never seemed to accept. Instead of employing tactics that preserve Americans' freedoms and inspire the faith and confidence of the American people, the White House seems to have chosen methods that can only breed fear and suspicion.

Martha Stewart talks about her show "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," whose finale aired two days ago. It will not return for any further seasons due to lackluster ratings. Martha discussed her displeasure with the show and its cast in a recent issue of Business Week.

A big part of your reintroduction to the public has been two TV shows that launched this year: The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and Martha. Which has been more satisfying to you?It's unusual for me to take a job like The Apprentice, and it was just a job. I got paid a fee. I have no participation in the show. Generally, we're the originators. But I did it because I knew it would be a jump-start, and it would get attention.You're getting close to the conclusion.Yeah, we're getting close to which of those inappropriate contestants we are actually going to have to hire. I can't believe people behave like that. They're exhibitionists and opportunists, those kids. I did not choose them either, by the way. I just want you to know I had nothing to do really with the choice of the contestants. That's part of reality television.

Read the entire interview. Her comments about daughter Alexis reveal more about their historically rocky relationship than I think she intended. Martha also says that her pick for president in 2008 is this person.

I only watched the first two episodes. I stopped watching it because it went up against the best show on TV right now, and apparently everyone else stopped watching for the same reason. I heard that the contestant Dawna won, and she will work for Martha's new magazine. I wonder how long Dawna will actually be at MSLO...

Forty elementary school students at The Inter-national School at Dundee yesterday performed "The Rainbow Christmas," a play that promotes tolerance and diversity. Debbie Kendrick's second-grade class and Gene Schmidt's fourth-grade class performed the play in front of a schoolwide audience. The message of the play coincides with the school's values of fostering a society of acceptance among people of different beliefs and cultures, Schmidt said. (Greenwich Time)

The play is implying that Christmas-time is here so we can all learn to just get along. Funny, but I thought that the meaning of Christmas was Immanuel coming to earth to save His people from their sins. God became flesh to dwell among us.

He said an autopsy, scheduled for tomorrow, would have to be completed before an official cause of death was announced. Vida Morgan, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department, said the cause of death would be released after the autopsy and that no foul play was suspected.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Pastor John Hay of Indianapolis writes about attending the homeless memorial service at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Indy.

Sadly, the names of 37 homeless neighbors who died while homeless or from the impact of homelessness were read, a higher number than usual. I recognized the names of several with whom I worked while directing Horizon House. The church bell tolled 38 times--37 times for known neighbors and one time for those known only to God.

The trials and tribulations of living in a Frank Lloyd Wright house include leaky roofs and gawking students. But the biggest problem of all is how to furnish a home built by a master of architecture.

If the Cretellas have one problem with the house, it's that much of their furniture and art - including Santa Fe-style pottery, Victorian antiques and red leather chairs - doesn't really complement Wright's architecture. "Our old house was completely different," Mr. Cretella said, explaining the mismatch. But even experienced interior designers have trouble knowing how to furnish a Wright house. So it's no wonder the Cretellas are hesitant about redecorating.

I lived in Oak Park, Illinois for nearly a year in 1997 and 1998. The city is graced by quite a few Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and his former home and studio still stands as a museum. Visitors are able to purchase maps to walk around the city and view the homes, and each spring there is a tour inside of some of the privately owned homes. I could never imagine living in such a home. My problem would be the same as the Cretellas - how do I furnish it?

On a day when three witnesses recalled the terror dispensed by Saddam Hussein's intelligence apparatus, the former Iraqi president said that he and his co-defendants have been beaten and tortured by their U.S. military jailers. Hussein's accusations came during a theatrical exchange Wednesday as he and his seven co-defendants stood trial for the 1982 massacre of 148 people in the Shiite village of Dujail. The attack purportedly was launched in retaliation for an assassination attempt on the dictator.

"Yes, we were beaten by the Americans," Hussein said during a meandering monologue that came during a period when he and the other defendants were offered the opportunity to question witness testimony through queries addressed to the court. "We were tortured one-by-one." (Chicago Tribune)

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert wrote a song titled "Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas," and it's been performed by John Denver and Alan Jackson. Perhaps Bill and Taffy should have addressed it to St. Nick.

Drunken Santas on a rampage in New Zealand, armed German robbers in Santa disguises, a British St. Nick wanted for flashing, and a Swedish vandal in a Santa outfit are giving the big man in red a bad name this year. Reports of "Bad Santas" breaking the law or otherwise wreaking havoc have been circulating around the world. (Yahoo! News)

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found a "pleasure spot" in the brains of rats that may shed light on how food translates into pleasure for humans. The spot in rats' brains makes sweet tastes more "liked" than other tastes, biopsychology researchers Susana Pecina and Kent Berridge found. (Yahoo! News)

If she had read it, she would make every day her best day as part of her best life now.

Houston Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen, his wife, Victoria, and their two children boarded a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Vail, Colo., Monday. The plane's door had been closed when Victoria Osteen and a flight attendant had a disagreement.

"She failed to comply with the flight attendant's instructions, and they were asked to leave the flight," FBI spokeswoman Luz Garcia said without elaborating on the disagreement. The FBI reviewed a report from Continental after the incident, Garcia said. No charges will be filed, she said. (Yahoo! News)

UPDATE: Believe it or not, I struggled with whether I should publish this post or not. I have no intention of using my blog to take cheap potshots at people or (to borrow a phrase from the gents at In the Agora) to point at something with outrage (aka, PASWO), and at first I thought this was exactly the kind of thing I'd be doing if I commented on this article. I realized, however, that Osteen has styled himself as a leader in evangelical Christianity, especially since he pastors a megachurch and has written a best-seller called "Your Best Life Now." If he is going to write a book about utilizing principles that he himself supposedly uses to live his best life, then it should be expected that his own wife would do the same. Getting into arguments with flight attendants, whatever the reason, doesn't seem to me to be a good way to live your best life now.

The Arts & Faith website has a listing of the top 100 spiritually significant films. Go here for the list.

It should be noted that "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson's film that made waves in the Christian community in early 2004 and was utilized in many church lesson plans, comes in at #35. I still haven't seen it.

The vast majority of people whom I interview at my hospital have some form of affective disorder. Most have some form of depression, whether it be a major depressive episode or a depressive 'spiral' of bipolar disorder.

On occasion, I will see someone who has cyclothymia, a milder form of bipolar disorder but problematic nonetheless to those who suffer from it. WaPo has a good article discussing the symptoms and treatment options - go here.

The American Psychiatric Association estimates that 2.2 million U.S. adults have cyclothymia, about half as many as those with bipolar disorder. But as bipolar disorders have gained visibility in the clinical community and popular culture, cyclothymia is being identified and treated more often.

No, he hasn't left Soon-Yi for an even younger woman. He fell in love with London's weather while filming "Match Point."

"The weather was absolutely superb for photography," Allen said. "Gray skies photograph beautifully, the light it casts is very soft. Filming in New York can be so hot in the summer but here it was perfect for my melancholy spirit." (Yahoo! News)

They come to Joyce Beisel's salon as regular men with plump bellies and long, stringy hair. But in four to eight hours, she transforms them into their fantasy--a jolly white-haired Santa ready to ascend a gilded throne at a shopping mall or to hand out gifts at a Christmas party. For 30 years, Santas have traveled from all over the country, and perhaps as far as the North Pole, to sit in Beisel's swivel chair and let her work her magic with a concoction of bleach and dye, scissors and a blow-dryer. It is a complicated, time-consuming process, but Beisel has it down to a science, giving each Santa, and sometimes Mrs. Claus, a treatment that makes them appear authentic. For these men, and thousands of others around the country, being Santa Claus is not just a seasonal job. It is a lifestyle. (Chicago Tribune)

Is Santa Claus a metrosexual? Maybe so when you consider this:

"It's a lifestyle because you always look the part when your hair is natural," said Tom Hartsfield, a co-founder of the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, a group of 670 Santa professionals who advocate a natural look rather than the wearing of wigs.

On a whim, I decided to "Google" some of my former college roommates - five roommates over four years - to see if there was any current information I could find on them. I was stunned to find that one of them was charged, just a little over two years ago, with soliciting online a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl but was actually a police officer. He is now a registered sexually oriented offender.

I have no idea what to make of this or what to do with this information, except to pray for him. Perhaps that's all I can do at this point. There is certainly no way that I can contact him and say something like, "Hey, just wanted you to know that I found some intriguing info about you on the Internet..." He graduated the same year as my wife, but something tells me that he didn't go to his 10-year college reunion last year - we didn't go either, but only because my wife was weeks away from giving birth to our 2nd child.

I lived with him for two quarters, or approximately 21 weeks, of my sophomore year; he lived next door to me the next year. During that time, and the subsequent times that I saw him around campus, I saw nothing that would lead me to think that he'd be interested in underage girls. This just serves to prove that you can't truly know everything about the people that you meet (and with whom you sometimes live and share breathing space).

It is being reported at recent U2 concerts that lead singer Bono has started to wear a head band with the word "COEXIST" written upon it. The "C" is the Islamic crescent moon, the "X" is a Star of David, and the "T" appears to be a cross. While wearing this headband, Bono has said something like this to the crowd: "Jesus, Jew, Mohammed - all true sons of Abraham."

There is, of course, much speculation as to what this all means. Bono seems to have espoused Christianity as The Truth in the past, but is he now advocating some sort of universalism? Is he perhaps saying that all religions (or at least Judiasm, Islam, and Christianity) have a valid pathway to God? What does he mean by "all true sons of Abraham?"

The COEXIST website can be found here. The following is the "concept" behind the company:

COEXIST was founded behind the concept of the COEXIST design logo. Combining the three monotheistic symbols to spell "coexist" suggests a lifestyle of creative consciousness. COEXIST embraces life first. We design the possibilities of enjoying it together because we are all at the interface of what is and can be. We aim to expose the distraction of discrimination, while promoting the vitality found in "collective." COEXIST expresses global beauty in all ways of life through the lens of fashion and design.

Much can be said about the "concept," beyond all the New Age jibberishness that it invokes. Really - so religion is all just a way to express fashion and design? You mean, I truly can go and worship at the House of Gucci? If this is true, then buying a T-shirt from COEXIST is a way to live out my faith.

I’ve heard the urban legends of amazing things Bono has said about his faith, I’ve read the books, and I’ve peered deep into everything he’s said hoping to find something that makes his beliefs clear. For years, I’ve adored him and clung to the notion that he is believer, too. After all, he identifies himself with Christianity, doesn’t he?

When he stated that lie so boldly, it devastated me. It was, without question, the most disturbing experience of my life; I felt like I’d been covered in bile. As I looked around, I saw all the people standing and chanting with him-it was disgusting and beautiful all at once. Unity can be so enticing. It made me think of the one world religion and how that will probably look benign and beautiful from the outside, too. I even started to wonder if universalism just might be poised to be that religion. All these things were running through my head.

Monday, December 19, 2005

A nativity scene in Londonderry, New Hampshire, is destroyed. (HT: Wizbang!)

Of the seven toppled figures standing outside, nearly all were damaged. One wise man seemingly mourns over the loss of the left side of his body, his arm laying in the snow in front of him. Another wise man has been broken almost in half. Mary’s missing her head and Joseph is missing the lower part of his body, Farrell said. The shepherd and the sheep were unharmed, as was the crib.

Baby Jesus, however, was safe inside waiting for his time to join the other figures. “We keep baby Jesus inside until Christmas day,” John Farrell said.

"Joy to the World", Mariah Carey - Ms. Carey brings the emotion to the song that it deserves. With her in the lead, I could repeat the sounding joy over and over again.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", Brenda Lee - Ms. Lee wrote the song, and nobody does it better.

"Tennessee Christmas", Amy Grant - Some of my family roots are in Tennessee, so I guess that's why I have an affinity for this song. The melody is so appealing musically that I imagine being wrapped up in a blanket and laying by a roaring fire, watching the snow fall on the mountains outside.

"The Christmas Song", Nat King Cole - If you're thinking of putting out a Christmas album yourself, don't even think about making your own version of this classic. Mr. Cole puts all other renditions to shame.

"Winter Wonderland", Steve Taylor - Yes, Avalon has a very nice version of this song currently playing on the radio, but Mr. Taylor gives his performance such a playfulness that it's hard to listen to anyone else sing it.

"Do You Hear What I Hear?", Whitney Houston - You know the line that goes "with a voice as big as the sea"? Ms. Houston's voice comes awfully close.

"Mary, Did You Know", Michael English - I know that Mark Lowry is co-writer of this song, and he has performed this himself. That being said, he doesn't have the voice of Mr. English.

So the (almost) fabled quest for perfection by the Indianapolis Colts has ended. They were foiled in their attempt by the San Diego Chargers, losing 26-17. The Colts are now 13-1, and the Chargers survive to make the playoffs (they would have been out if the Colts had won). Well, if the Colts were going to lose, better this month than the next.

My much older sister will be happy about this, and my 3-years-younger-than-me nephew-in-law about this.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

I generally don't experience any kind of feelings when I hear that a certain star/celebrity has expired, other than a vague feeling of sympathy for their families and co-workers (if they were working at the time). I do not know these people on any personal level, so why would I feel any true sense of loss when they are gone? When Richard Pryor recently passed, I felt no sort of emotion that was associated with his death.

However, there have been a few times when I have felt a certain sadness when a star has passed. I have felt sad when a TV star, whose show I watched on a regular basis, died - I was disturbed for several weeks when Jerry Orbach, a veteran player on "Law & Order", lost his battle to prostate cancer nearly a year ago. Detective Lennie Briscoe is one of my favorite TV characters of all time. I felt sadness when Phil Hartman was murdered - I loved "NewsRadio," and he was one of the best SNL regulars ever (his performance of Bill Clinton may have been more celebrated, but I thought his Frank Sinatra was brilliant).

I had the same feelings again after I learned that actor John Spencer died of a heart attack several days ago. I thought that his White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry was the most interesting character on "The West Wing." I haven't watched "West Wing" as closely as I had in the first several seasons, but I've caught a few episodes this year. I wonder how his story will play out, especially since his character was the V.P. pick of one of the nominees for president.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

I receive periodic emails from ediets.com, usually from the editor-in-chief who goes by the name Mr. Bad Food. He has picked what he believes to be the ten foods that would wreck anyone's healthy eating. See how many you've consumed.

When I was in Washington, I stopped by the Christmas Tree in front of the White House. Just so you know that there is no confusion as to what holiday is celebrated, there is a Nativity scene near the tree. Smaller Christmas trees from each state and U.S. territory encircled the larger tree. When we arrived at the tree, the presidential motorcade was leaving to go to the 'Christmas in Washington' concert at the National Building Museum - the program airs tonight on TNT.

I didn't go inside the White House to see the decorations, but you can view them here.

Like most of America, I was intrigued by all the drama surrounding the execution of Stanley 'Tookie' Williams, one of the founders of the notorious L.A. gang the Crips. There was much talk about his "redemption" over the years, primarily because he wrote children's books denouncing gang violence.

Williams had some high-profile friends to enlist in his effort to avoid execution, especially in Mike Farrell from TV's "M*A*S*H" and Jamie Foxx. Foxx played Williams in a movie.

An aside: When I was in Washington on Sunday, I partially expected to see Jesse Jackson holding up some sign while standing in front of either the White House or the Capitol Building. But I learned from the news that night that the media hound was at Tookie's deathwatch.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

I was here, at one of Washington's most picturesque sites, just two nights ago. It may not get as much respect as the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument, but it is my favorite. April parked the van to feed "L", who was in no mood to be a tourist, while "K" and I went up to the memorial itself. The sun had set, so we walked in darkness through the pedestrian plaza, past the cherry blossom trees, and around the memorial. "K" asked to step down and look at the waters of the Tidal Basin. We gazed across the water at the Washington Monument. I bent on my knees and pointed out the White House to explain that the statue was directly facing the presidential home.

We walked up the steps to the memorial itself, the dome reminiscent of Jefferson's own home. Scaffolding was around much of the structure but it didn't take anything away from the majesty of the place. The air was very still, and there was no one around save for "K", me, and a police officer at the bottom of the steps. I looked up at the towering statue and the top of the dome. I took photographs of the panels inscribed with some of Jefferson's most famous and celebrated writings, including the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. I read the words that encircle the rotunda: "I have sworn up the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."And I felt a chill that was not from the night air.

Thursday, December 8, 2005

This is a film situated precisely on the dividing line between traditional family entertainment and the newer action-oriented family films. It is charming and scary in about equal measure, and confident for the first two acts that it can be wonderful without having to hammer us into enjoying it, or else. Then it starts hammering. Some of the scenes toward the end push the edge of the PG envelope, and like the Harry Potter series, the Narnia stories may eventually tilt over into R. But it's remarkable, isn't it, that the Brits have produced Narnia, the Ring, Hogwarts, Gormenghast, James Bond, Alice and Pooh, and what have we produced for them in return? I was going to say "the cuckoo clock," but for that you would require a three-way Google of Italy, Switzerland and Harry Lime.

The folks at Rotten Tomatoes offer a host of links to reviews, both positive and negative.

Disney downplays the Christian aspect of its marketing campaign:

Mark Johnson, the producer of the film who has also worked on Rain Man, has responded to claims suggesting that "the church is being used by Hollywood" by revealing that only 5% of the marketing budget has involved religious organisations. Disney has appointed US evangelical publisher Outreach to promote the Christian message of the film in churches and, according to reports, the Christian radio station Premier has been urging churches to hold services based on the theme of the film. (Brand Republic)

Certainly, post-Passion, the Christian demographic is more important than ever before. "The audience and network for attracting and organizing said audience is very much there and the apparatus, from marketers to grassroots teams, has gotten way more developed and sophisticated," says Mark Urman, head of theatrical distribution for THINKFilm, which next Easter plans to release The Big Question, a documentary about the existence of God shot on the set of The Passion of the Christ.

25 years ago today, John Lennon was shot while entering the hotel in New York City where he had been staying. Several hours previously, he signed an autograph for the man who shot him, Mark David Chapman.

I was nine years old when Lennon was killed. I don't remember much about it the way that I remember when President Reagan was shot or when the Challenger exploded, but I remember that everyone at school was talking about it the next day.

Chapman remains in Attica, having been denied parole in October 2004. Some chilling words: "I felt that perhaps my identity would be found in the killing of John Lennon."

Were the Beatles about to 'come together' again? Some interesting news:

It would have been the sensational return of the Fab Four. But the bullet that killed John Lennon 25 years ago today destroyed plans for a Beatles reunion, according to new claims. Lennon was making secret plans to record an album with the other former Beatles when he was killed, Jack Douglas, the producer who was working with him until minutes before his death, told The Times.

He said in an interview in New York: “He and Paul planned to play on a Ringo album and that’s how they were planning to do it, and George had not come aboard yet.” The sticking point, however, was with Harrison. “George was already in a lot of hot water with John because of George releasing his autobiography and not really mentioning much of John in it,” Mr Douglas said. “But I think they assumed that George would come along as soon as the thing got going.” (Times Online)

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

Saddam Hussein's trial resumed Wednesday after a delay of several hours with the deposed Iraqi leader absent from the courtroom. Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin opened the session at 3 p.m. (7 a.m. ET), about four hours late, and called the first witness.

Hussein's chair sat empty at the front of the dock, and his chief lawyer thanked Amin for continuing the proceedings. Amin said Hussein would be told about the proceedings taking place in his absence and that judges would meet with the defense team after Wednesday's session to discuss the lawyers' security situation. (CNN)

Would Allah have wanted Saddam to use this language?

"I will not be in a court without justice. Go to hell, all you agents of America," Hussein told the court.

Here is an article about Ultimate Christian Wrestling, a group of pro and semi-pro wrestlers based out of an Athens, Georgia church that travels to other churches in order to entertain audiences with wrestling and preach the Gospel.

Witness [Rob] Fields (aka "Rob Adonis"), a 6-foot-4, 285-pound package of ministerial menace, getting trounced by Lee "Lover Boy" Thomas, with a succession of choke holds, chin blasters and a thunderous flying leg drop from the top rope. When Thomas and his manager, Mr. Evil, gang up on the hapless Adonis, pounding him and stealing his UCW belt, we have to wonder, is the first going to be last tonight?

What would Jesus do?

I'm not quite sure what He would do in a wrestling ring, but I can't imagine Jesus would dress up in skin-tight briefs and then clothesline some guy so that He can give His Sermon on the Mount to an adoring crowd.

Tully Blanchard, a former partner of pro-wrestler Ric Flair, is now an ordained minister and has joined with this group.

Tully Blanchard .... offered his own testimony during a break in the Holly Springs match and stood ready at the altar call — a regular feature of UCW events — to counsel any new believers. Though none approached the ring that evening, wrestling, he said later, can win souls that conventional worship can't. "If you're fishing, and you don't catch fish, change bait."

Funny, but I thought that God, not wrestling, brought people to Himself. Jonah 2:9 reads, "Salvation is of the Lord."

Ultimate Christian Wrestling has its own site, complete with a prayer board, some photos of the wrestlers, and merchandise link.

This weekend, my little family will be traveling to Washington, D.C. Hopefully there will be no more winter storms and we'll make it through Pennsylvania without any issues. I feel like we're going to be Washington insiders this weekend since (1) we are going to a surprise birthday party of a friend whose husband works for the CIA, (2) we may be able to meet up with a friend whose husband works in the White House, and (3) while my wife and I are at the party, our children will be cared for by an FBI agent.

My wife will tell you that I'm a big fan of Christmas music. I love singing the traditional carols in church, like "Silent Night" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." I enjoyed being in the Christmas pageants at the church I attended as a child/adolescent - I was a donkey one year, a wise man another year, never Joseph. I've great enjoyed singing in church Christmas concerts as an adult - I even had a solo one year. I play nothing but Christmas music between the day after Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. I listen to the local station that plays nothing but Christmas music (this one if you must know)

Having said all that, I must say that there are some Christmas-themed songs that I absolutely, positively can not stand in the least. Here they are, in no particular order:

"The Christmas Shoes", NewSong - Do you want to get all teary-eyed during the Christmas season? If so, listen to this. It's manipulative as all get-out. Not only do I find the lead singer's gravelly voice extremely irritating, I do not want to hear about some kid's mother dying when I'm trying to trim the tree. No, no, no.

"Jingle Bells", Barbra Streisand - Babs, whose voice does not sound like 'buttah' the more it ages, appeared to have been in the manic phase of her bipolar disorder when she recorded this. The music is so jumpy that I immediately jump to another station when I hear it.

"12 Days of Christmas" - Doesn't matter who sings this or how it's updated - the sheer repetitiveness of it annoys the heck outta me.

"I Saw Three Ships" - I dislike this for the same reasons as "12 Days," but I do find it barely tolerable when Nat King Cole sings it.

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", Bruce Springsteen - The Boss sounds like he severely strained his voice just before he sat down in the recording studio. The track he laid down isn't pretty.

"Santa Baby", Madonna - Only Eartha Kitt has the voice for this song. Back, Esther, back!

"Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time", Paul McCartney - What's with so many Christmas songs having lines repeated incessantly? Sir Paul does it here, and he uses a cloying synthesizer to boot. John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" is light-years better.

"Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas", John Denver - Nothing is better than a dysfunctional holiday, so raise your glass and we will all have a cup of 'Christmas cheer'.

The folks at Lean Left say their peace, and I'm surprisingly in agreement with many of them (considering that I don't lean left) - and, their comments about each song are spot on.

More lists can be found here, here, and here. Wow, everyone's hating on NewSong.

Monday, December 5, 2005

These specialists estimate that 6 percent to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in this country have a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug addiction, and they are rushing to treat it. Yet some in the field remain skeptical that heavy use of the Internet qualifies as a legitimate addiction, and one academic expert called it a fad illness.

Skeptics argue that even obsessive Internet use does not exact the same toll on health or family life as conventionally recognized addictions. But, mental health professionals who support the diagnosis of Internet addiction say, a majority of obsessive users are online to further addictions to gambling or pornography or have become much more dependent on those vices because of their prevalence on the Internet.

But other users have a broader dependency and spend hours online each day, surfing the Web, trading stocks, instant messaging or blogging, and a fast-rising number are becoming addicted to Internet video games. (NY Times)

We humans (especially we Americans) love to look at and debate about lists. Whether they involve books, CD's, movies, plays, or shopping locations, we love to give a rank ordering of subjects and talk about what should (or not) fits in and where it should place.

The end of the year is nearly here. Many magazines and newspapers will no doubt trumpet their lists of "The Year's Best." I know that I will be picking up my copy of Entertainment Weekly - since I'm no longer a subscriber - for it's 2005 review. (Speaking of EW, I have no clue as to who the 'Entertainer of the Year' will be, but I'm guessing Harry Potter will be somewhere near the top since a new book and new movie came out this year)

The New York Times already has out its list of the "10 best books of 2005." I haven't read a single one - perhaps someday...

SwineBass is no more. It's no longer linkable because it has left the blogosphere as if it had never existed. (Well, not quite. It still shows up in the TTLB ecosystem.)

I've put quite a few postings from SwineBass onto the Good Brownie site. I have included the five days from my Florida trip that I managed to blog about - just look in the July 2005 archives if you are so inclined. Five days is all I managed to get in before I became consumed with other things.

A military uniform said to have belonged to deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is being offered for sale by a US auction website. The green uniform, with epaulettes bearing the mark of Saddam Hussein's rank in the Iraqi army, has a starting price of $5,000 (£2,900). A US soldier found the item during the assault on Baghdad airport in 2003, according to the website, Manions.com. (BBC)

You'll be the envy of every costume party you go to if you buy it. Too bad that the uniform wasn't for a sale 1 1/2 months ago, in time for all those Halloween parties.

The latest movement/obsession/conversation/rage/organization in Christendom appears to be the Emerging Church Movement (sometimes called "E.C.," sometimes called "E.C.M."). Many hail this is a better way to worship and to live out the faith in light of a 'postmodern world', while others contend it is nothing short of heresy and a diminishing of the Gospel. Whatever your view of E.C.M., it is very much like the character of Alex Forrest in the film Fatal Attraction when she says to her rejecting lover, "I'm not going to be ignored, Dan."

To become more informed on emergent, you can leave your home and go to either a village or a planet.

Karen Ward is 'webmeister' to a site that reads the following on the front page:

the emerging church of the 21st century may have more in common with the church of the apostolic era, than with the church of the 20th century.many ancient practices of faith and ways of being communal are being re:booted and morphed for the needs of the future church. as leonard sweet writes, "our faith is ancient. our faith is future. we're old-fashioned. we're new-fangled. we're orthodox. we're innovators. we're postmodern christians."

Phil Johnson (Pyromaniac), blogger and executive director of Grace To You, is certainly an outspoken critic of E.C.M. He has written several posts discussing his concerns, and you can read just a few here and here.

D.A. Carson has written a book on E.C.M. titled "Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church." Here is an adapted article.

McLaren, Kimball and several others have given a response to criticism. This response mentions an essay written by Dr. David Mills, a professor at Cedarville University (I knew Mills when we were both students at Cedarville) - Mills wrote his essay after listening to Carson discuss his thoughts during the Staley Lecture series at Cedarville in 2004.

World AIDS Day is about people getting the facts about HIV and AIDS. It's a day for people to get involved and there are many ways in which you can do so. We have a listing of events where you can search to find the ones that suit you, or if you are organising an event, you can add details of your event. If you would like to get involved in other ways, we have some great ideas for you!